404 CELL INTELLIGENCE THE CAUSE OF EVOLUTION 



or castes, which always tend to become more sharply de- 

 fined in proportion as the state became more highly de- 

 veloped ; all follow diverse occupations and yet work 

 for a common end. A process similar to this, and the de- 

 tails of which each can easily fill up for himself, took 

 place millions of years ago when, at the beginning of 

 organic life on the earth, one celled organisms at first 

 developed and were afterwards followed by many celled 

 forms. 



"The single cells which arose by reproduction from the 

 oldest parent-cells must at first have lived in an isolated 

 condition ; each one performed the same simple offices as 

 all the others. They were satisfied with self preservation, 

 nutrition and reproduction. At a later period isolated 

 cells gathered into communities. Groups of simple cells, 

 which had arisen by the continued division of a single 

 cell remain together and now began gradually to perform 

 different offices in life. The first traces of specialization 

 or division of labor soon occurred, as one cell assumed 

 one office, another another. One set of cells may have 

 devoted themselves especially to the absorption of food 

 or nutrition. Other cells may have busied themselves 

 only with reproduction and others again have formed 

 themselves into protecting organs for the little commun- 

 ity, etc. In short, various classes or castes must have 

 arisen in the cell state following diverse occupation and 

 yet working together for the common end. In propor- 

 tion as this division of labor progressed, the many celled 

 organism or the specialized cell community became more 

 perfect or civilized." 



Mr. Haeckel is a great student of life but he does not 

 think that the cell is possessed of any intelligence, but 

 believes that the actions of the cells are caused by chem- 

 ical energy. I think he is mistaken, at least, all facts 



